Terry Moore
Echo: Moon Lake (2008)
Author: Terry Moore
Genre: Science Fiction (Superhero)
Plot Summary:
Julie Martin’s life is not going well. Her husband has filed for divorce, she can’t afford to feed herself or her dog, and her bills are piling up. To make matters worse she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time when an afternoon taking pictures leaves her a witness to an explosion and covered in fallout. The tiny bits of metal stick to Julie’s skin and create a breast plate that just won’t come off. As Julie digs deeper she starts to discover some of the plate’s more powerful characteristics. SPOILER: When Julie is taken by the US military the breast plate fights back, downing several soldiers and their vehicles. Julie is forced to trust Dillon, a man she’s just met, whose girlfriend was killed in the explosion that covered Julie. This first installment of the graphic novel ends with Julie and Dillon on the run in a motorcycle gang.
Geographical Setting: American desert
Time Period: Contemporary (2008)
Series: Issues 1-5 of a planned 18 issues of Echo.
Appeal Characteristics:
Moore writes a flawed, but strong and believable female character in Julie. Her struggles will resonate with readers and the unwilling superhero element of her story will intrigue them. Moore’s tone is dark without ever taking a turn into disturbing. People are dying and the military is keeping secrets from the country, but the feel of the story is actually quite hopeful and has a darkly humorous side. Like when Julie worries about being electrocuted in her shower by the metal breastplate, but just ends up getting blasted with freezing cold water. Although Julie is the main character of the story, Moore presents the narrative from multiple characters’ perspectives; the mother who works for the government, the park ranger whose girlfriend was killed by the military, and others. The desert setting lends itself to Julie’s feelings of isolation and will draw the reader into her story. Finally, the narrative moves along quite quickly as Julie’s life becomes less and less her own until she is forced to run from the military.
Read-alikes: Those who are drawn to Terry Moore’s art and storytelling style would do well to try one of his many other series. Moore’s most well known, award winning series Strangers in Paradise is a great place to start. Moore has said that he views the characters in both his series to be contemporaries of each other. Strangers in Paradise is the story of friends, love, and relationships. The main characters are two women who Moore has said he believes would be friends with Julie Martin and will appeal to readers of Echo. In Jonathon and Joshua Luna’s series The Sword another strong female character finds herself suddenly thrust into an adventure. Dara Brighton is a college student and paralyzed from the waist down until the day that a magical, ancient sword changes her life. With strong characterization, lots of adventure and mystery The Sword will appeal to readers who love Echo. The dark humor, artistic style, and strong characterization of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer will appeal to fans of Terry Moore. Buffy Summers is a girl who has a lot to deal with: friends, boyfriends, vampires who’d like to kill her. Like Julie Martin, Buffy is a girl whose normal life is heavily affected by her paranormal life. A graphic novel that is similar to Echo in both art and tone is Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting. The story of what happens after “happily ever after” will appeal to readers who enjoy a story with strong characters, interesting back stories, and great storytelling. Castle Waiting follows the people who come to Sleeping Beauty’s castle to live their lives in peace and safety. The fantasy elements of Medley’s story will appeal to those who enjoy the unwilling superhero story of Echo. Those who like the simple, clean lines of Terry Moore’s comics will enjoy the art of Alison Bechdel’s comic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. The story of Bechdel’s childhood with a closeted homosexual father will also appeal to those who enjoy the darker tones that never lose their sense of hope in Moore’s story.
Red Flags: violence, adult language, partial nudity
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